Loving Charlie
by Ziver69
Summary: Love. Joy. Heartbreak and healing. How many soulmates can you have? And exactly how do you decide to cross the line from best friend...family, into something more. Are there some lines that can't be crossed? AU. Very AU, but not aliens and zombie kittens that turn into werewolves on full moons AU. Summaries aren't my thing. Sara/Grissom/OC
1. Chapter 1

**~~LOVING CHARLIE~~**

Well, we have the usual disclaimer; I don't own any of this, I make no money from this, etc, etc,etc. (Anyone who did the accent from the King And I when reading etc, etc, ect gets bonus points) Any references to songs, musicians, actors, movies, books, TV shows...anything universally recognizable, I do not own. Gosh I hope that covers everything. This is AU; ages have been changed as well as many other aspects. I'd give more detail up front but that would result in spoilers and I don't want spoilers before you've even read the first line. I love reviews (hint hint please). This is gonna be a long one...you've been warned. Oh, and the sea otter info was gathered from the Marine Mammal Center website. (Now your all kinds of curious, aren't you)

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

 _May 1999_

Charlie unfolded his legs, stretching his right calf a little before he climbed out of the Jeep. His green eyes took stock of the early morning activity on the waterfront before he pulled his bag out of the backseat and grabbed his travel cup, making his way toward the aquarium to start his day. When he was but a few steps from the door, it swung open for him.

"Morning, Charlie." Tommy Drussel greeted him. Tommy was just about four years shy of retirement and he'd been the head of security for the Marina del Rey Aquarium and Rehabilitation Center for the last fifteen years. Before that he'd been one of six guards at the facility.

Everyone working there loved Tommy. He knew them all as if they were family. He knew girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses and kids by their first names. He was even responsible for a few of the well used nicknames of the employees children. He was alone now; a widower ever since his Grace had passed seven years this spring, but he wasn't lonely. He loved his life and he loved his job; he had since the very first day he'd swapped his Navy uniform for a security guard uniform and walked through the door he was currently holding open. Well, not this specific door. The building had grown over the years, just like a child; been added on to, and redesigned and he'd seen almost all of it, save for the first few years it had been open before his stint as a Navy man had been up.

"Morning, Tommy. How's everything looking this morning?" Charlie asked, passing the older man on his way in the door.

"Ship shape, as usual." He raised a weathered hand to scratch under his collar, the early morning sun gleaming off the brass aquarium crest adorning his cap. "But the kids seem a little restless this mornin'. I think they're hungry."

Charlie chuckled. "You always think they're hungry when they're fussin'."

"That's cause the only times I ever seen babies fuss so was when they was tired, messed, sick or hungry. They only been up a few hours now, ain't got diapers to be messed in, so that leaves hungry." he said with confidence, checking to make sure the door was locked behind them since the aquarium wouldn't be open to the public for another couple of hours.

"You forgot sick." Charlie smiled, going along with their weekly routine. They had this conversation at least two or three times every week since the three baby sea otters had been rescued and brought to the aquarium two months ago in March.

"Nah. You watch'em too close for them babies to be sick without you knowin'. Besides, they ain't sick fussy-" The gentle voiced, African American grinned.

"They're belly empty fussin'." Charlie finished the well worn sentence with him, making them both laugh.

"See now, look how quick yu catch on." Tommy ribbed with a twinkle of glee in his brown eyes. "Knew since your scrawny behind started wandering around here when yu was just a bean sprout that we'd make a water critter man outta you yet!"

Charlie laughed, waving over his shoulder as he walked through the lobby and toward the back of the aquarium that was off limits to the general public. "See you at lunchtime, Tommy. Gotta go feed the kids. Heard they're fussin' cause they're hungry." he called back to the older man.

"That boy." Tommy chuckled, shaking his head and walking back to his small desk.

Making his way down a side hall, Charlie unlocked the door to the office he shared with Dr. Brady Scaggs, the facility's other marine biologist and animal behaviorist. He expected Brady would be along shortly; it was his turn to bring breakfast today, which was a sure fire recipe to make the man run ten minutes behind schedule.

Brady was one of those people who had the ability to be unbelievably flexible at work, but throw something, even the smallest change, into his morning routine and he'd be running just slightly behind.

It was a good thing both men made it practice to arrive an hour early to allow themselves time to start the morning in low gear.

It wasn't that Charlie wasn't a morning person. He just appreciated the opportunity to ease into the day. Brady? He wasn't so much a morning person.

Speak of te devil. At 6'3", with blonde hair, hazel eyes, and an athletic build, Brady was what his mother's friends called, "easy on the eyes." The thirty-three year old sea turtle specialist made his way through their open door, looking as though he was barely holding on to everything in his arms.

"Need a hand, buddy?" Charlie offered, sitting his coffee cup down.

"No. Thanks though." Brady peeked over the bag in front of his face to make sure his desk was clear where he was about to drop his armful. "It's like Jenga, bro. One false move and it all comes down."

"Tommy your hero again?" Charlie laughed.

"The man was sent straight from God to make sure I never get stuck standing outside, yelling for help until someone comes to let me in, I swear." he confirmed, finally getting his hands free. "By the way," Brady grinned. "Tommy says the kids are starving."

Charlie let out a hearty laugh. "I was like four minutes ahead of you. I barely got the door unlocked and my stuff settled before you got here, and when I came in they were only 'hungry'."

Brady put his hands up in jest. "All I know is what I was told."

"It's a conspiracy." Charlie muttered with a smirk. "Which one is mine?" he asked, looking at the wrapped breakfast sandwiches on Brady's desk. He scooped up the one pointed at and made for the door.

"Hey! You're not gonna eat with me?"

"Now what kind of a dad would I be if I didn't feed the babies first? Besides, they get blood drawn today, so I wanna spend some fun time with them first."

Brady unwrapped his own sandwich as he kicked his feet up on his desk. "You're making me look like a bad father, Charles." He called, knowing Charlie was still close enough to hear.

"At least I'm not making you look like a bad mother." came Charlie's disembodied retort.

"True enough." Brady mumbled around his sandwich.

Charlie punched in the code for the habitat, balancing three bottles of pureed 'baby food' in his hands. It didn't take long for him to find the boys once he was inside. Three little otters ambled at him as fast as their ten week old legs would allow, bringing a large smile to his face. "Good morning, boys. Let's have breakfast." he chuckled as he sat cross legged on the ground and they clambered onto his lap.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

The sheets felt cool against her skin as she stretched lazily, a product of the AC in the window and the large ceiling fan circling over the luxorious King size bed. If there were three more of her, it wouldn't fill the bed. The excitement of her situation permeated her sleepy haze like a really great cup of coffee and urged her eyes open with a bright smile.

Sara reached high above her her head, gave a jaw popping yawn and sat up. Her mind was racing with possibilities for the day. There were a ton of placs she wanted to explore today. She'd seen some of the area as she drove in yesterday, but it had been getting late in the evening and she'd decided the best plan would be to get some bare bones groceries at the nearest grocery store, which she'd found easily thanks to Dr. Preston's excellent directions, air out the house, unpack, and have some dinner.

The house was gorgeous. The pictures Dr. Preston had shown her didn't begin to do it justice. It was right on the beach and also boasted an in-ground pool with a spacious patio and an outdoor bar and kitchen. She'd enjoyed some soup and an egg salad sandwich on the patio last night, relaxing and listening to the waves washing onto the shore.

Dorleen 'Dorie' Preston and her husband had purchased the beach home in Marina del Rey twelve years ago and had spent nearly every summer since then here during summer break. This year, Dr. Preston, the 'he' Preston as Sara fondly referred to him as, had surprised his wife with a summer adventure exploring Greece to celebrate the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

Dorie and Harlan Preston had been high school sweethearts and married two days after graduation. Both had gone on to attend Berkeley, graduating with Bachelors degrees and later with doctorates in Physics and Anthropology. Both of them had ended up being tenured and highly respected and loved professors at their beloved Alma Mater.

Doreen Prestn was Sara's advisor and had taught her Intro Physics class in Sara's first semester. The woman had taken an instant liking to the intelligent, but shy sixteen year old. She quickly took Sara under her wing academically and personally.

Sara's sophomore summer break, Dorie and Harlan had asked Sara to come spend the summer with them, but Sara had graciously declined. She had been living summer breaks with a friend who rented a small apartment just off campus. Karen had a pull out couch and a love of entertaining. It worked and was fun in the summer when Sara didn't have to worry about studying and was appreciated since she didn't want to rely on the system for a roof over her head anymore. Besides wanting a great education, there was a reason Sara had busted her butt to graduate high school early, be granted emanicipation and accepted to Berkeley.

That summer, Sara had landed a great job at a high class restaraunt. She had worked her tail off that summer to earn enough money to rent a small apartment of her own for the coming school year. It wasn't much but she'd been proud. It was her own and how many Junior's could say they had their own apartment without any help from parents.

But this was the summer before her Senior year. She was nineteen years old and had been working so hard for so many years to get out of the foster care system, living with her nose to the grindstone to earn and keep as many scholarships as possible to pay for school. So, when the Prestons had gone to the trouble to get permission from the Dean to pay her to beach house sit so no one could accuse them of favoritism toward a student and then her landlord had agreed to sublet her apartment for the summer, Sara had joyously accepted and had spent hours in the den with Dorie, looking at pictures and hearing all about the places she should visit while here.

They'd insisted on paying Sara for watching the house on top of paying the utility bills and letting her use their car. She'd argued at first, but they'd persisted, reminding her that she would be caring for things that they would otherwise be paying someone else to do. Plus, they wanted her to enjoy a summer without slaving away; a reward for all the hard work she did year round.

"You're helping us care for the house in our absence. Consider this an early graduation present." Harlan had been smiling, his arm around Dorie as they'd waited for Sara to give in and agree.

It was like an all expense paid vacation. She thought she may get a fun, part time summer job, just for fun money. She'd scan the paper in a day or two and keep her eyes peeled for something interesting when she explored.

Feeling carefree and invigorated, she jumped out of bed to start her first full day. "Breakfast first."

An hour later, she was fed, showered and dressed. She decided a little exercise would be good, so she pulled Dorie's bike from the shed and made sure everything was locked up before peddling off into the warm Marina del Rey morning.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

"You sure you don't want me to stick'em, doc?" The young intern the pup. "I could use the practice and I don't mind being the bad guy today." she offered.

"Thank you, Jenna, but no. And that's not a reflection of your good work or capabilities though." he told her sincerely. The college student had a natural ability with animals and she would be a credit to the field one day. She already was.

"That's okay, doc. It's a dad thing, right?"

Charlie laughed. "Yeah, I guess it is." He double checked the syringe. "Alright, Maurice, hold still now, little buddy and we'll be done before you know it."

"Don't watch, Maurice. It hurts less if you don't watch." Jenna told the little otter. He blinked at her.

Jenna caught Charlie's eye just before he inserted the needle. "That never worked for me." he shared, efficiently drawing the blood and removing the needle. "Good boy." he commended softly, giving the adorable critter a well loved scratch. "Never could look away when they did this to me. Still can't."

Jenna smiled at him, putting Maurice down and scooping up Robin. "Control issues, doc?"

He shrugged. "Just like to know when the jab is actually happening."

Robin squirmed a bit and Charlie stepped closer, helping Jenna hold him more securely. She repositioned her hold and Charlie quickly drew the needed blood.

"Do you think the tests will show any problems?" she asked.

"I don't think so. They've been holding healthy and steady the last month. If this test comes back good, we may start trying them on solids as early as the end of this week."

"Hear that, Barry boy? Real food." Jenna held the last pup, laughing softly at the trill the little guy let out. "He's singing for his supper."

Charlie chuckled. "So aptly named." he joked, drawing the last vial.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

Sara took a sip from her bottle of tea, tilting her face up to catch the disappearing rays of sunlight. She'd decided to have a light dinner at the park she'd discovered. It was a beautiful park, surrounded on three sides by the water. There was a large, grassy knoll where you could see most of the marina and there was a band shell as well.

Sara loved listening to the water and the sounds of the outdoors. Sometimes she swore she could determine the time of day just by listening to the sounds around her.

"This is my favorite time of day here."

Sara jumped, her eyes shooting open in alarm.

"I'm sorry, young lady. Forgive an old man. I didn't mean to scare you like that."

She took in the sight of the man suddenly standing just off to her left side. Tall, African American, kind eyes and mostly gray hair. "S'okay." she smiled. "I was off in my own world I guess."

The older man leaned toward her, but didn't take a step as he offered his hand in greeting. She suspected he remained where he was as a means to assure her that he meant her no harm. She didn't feel threatened by him, but she glanced toward the water and found a family on their boat. It never hurt to be safe and prepared. His eyes followed hers, but he didn't seem bothered by her caution. If anything, his smile warmed even more and she got the distinct impression that he was proud of her for looking.

"Tom Drussel. My friend's call me Tommy."

Sara shook his hand.

"Think you can call me, Tommy too. I figure I owe you that much for taxing your heart." he chuckled.

"Sara. It's nice to meet you." She smiled, wanting to put him at ease as well. She would be cautious, but she wasn't afraid. "And my heart's okay, so no worries, Tommy." 

They shared a bit of an awkward moments, but then Tommy slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks and rocked back on his heels, taking a deep breath. "I don't think I could live away from the water." He said, his voice rich, his tone reminiscent of someone talking to an old friend. "My wife used to tease me. She'd tell anyone who would listen that I have sea salt in my veins and my lungs."

"Have you always loved the water?"

"Oh, yes. In fact, when I was just a boy, I didn't even know there were places that weren't on the water. This was before any schoolin', you see." His eyes were focused on the water and got a little far off look before he smiled and focused back on her. "My daddy was a fisherman. My mama, my sister and I moved along the coastal towns with him for years until a fishing accident took him. Then my mama raised us on the water in a little bitty oyster town until I got old enough. I joined the Navy, saw a little of this big, ol' world, met and fell in love with the prettiest little gal I ever laid eyes on and courted her through letters for three years while I finished out my stint. I went back to where we met and dropped down on one knee." His smile was was wistful and warm. Sara couldn't help but to smile with him. "We got married and moved here. This was my Grace's hometown. Her folks still lived here and it was her heart's want to come back. So, we did. Been here ever since." He sighed.

"Would you like to sit? I'd love to hear more. I'm new in town and you're the first person I've really become acquainted with."

"How about a cup of coffee, Sara? It's going to get dark soon and I'd rather know you're not walking home alone after dark."

Sara stood and gathered her belongings, putting them into her backpack and picked up her bike. "Lead the way, Tommy."

They talked as they walked, Tommy pointing out local places and telling her some history of the old town, shareing tidbits only del Reyers would know. She, in turn, told him a little about where she was studying and how she came to be here. As soon as they reached the little cafe, he asked the waitress, who he called by name, for a piece of paper. He wrote his phone number and address down, insisting that Sara call him if she needed anything and to come over if she wanted some company.

"I know you young women are all very capable and independent, but I'm from a time when young ladies didn't usually live alone."

She smiled. Yes, she could take care of herself, but she found it endearing that this kind, older gentleman was being so protective of a young woman he'd only just met.

Their coffees came, he insisted on paying, and they picked up where they'd left off on their walk over. By the time Stacey poured them refills, the sun was pinkening and she'd learned that Grace had been living with her brother and his wife when Tommy and Grace had met because Grace's parents felt that she needed to see life outside of Marina del Rey. She also learned that Grace and Tommy had taken a walk in the park every evening that he wasn't at work since they moved here and that Tommy was head of security at the local aquarium and rehab center.

Sara was enjoying his company so much that she failed to notice how dark it was getting.

"Now I talked your ear off and kept you out after dark." He stood up a little slowly, his age showing a little in his stiffness, and patted her hand which rested on the tabletop. "Just let me get rid of some of this coffee and I'll see you home, Miss Sara."

Sara watched him walk toward the back of the cafe, feeling a little uncertain. He did seem genuine and very sweet. And she did have this sixth sense that he was totally trustworthy, but still, she was uncertain. After all, she was in an unfamiliar town and he was, despite sharing so much of his life openly with her, technically, a stranger. Should she really allow him to see where she was staying alone?

"Don't worry, honey." Sara jumped, not having noticed Stacey reappear. "Tommy's as safe as they come and he's got no ulterior motives for walking yu home other than making sure you get there safe. I'd trust that man with my life, and that ain't something I'd say about too many men these days." She gave Sara a wink and left with their empty cups and spoons.

Tommy reappeared shortly and offered Sara his arm. She stood with a smile and linked her arm with his.

"Let's get you home, Miss Sara."

Sara had made her first friend in Marina del Rey.

TBC...please take a few seconds and leave your thoughts. They're very much appreciated. Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**~~LOVING CHARLIE~~**

Well, we have the usual disclaimer; I don't own any of this, I make no money from this, etc, etc,etc. Any references to songs, musicians, actors, movies, books, TV shows...anything universally recognizable, I do not own. Gosh I hope that covers everything. This is AU; ages have been changed as well as many other aspects.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

"I met the sweetest young lady on my walk last evening."

Charlie perked an eyebrow as he washed a bite of cinnamon bun down with a swallow of coffee. "Yeah? That's nice."

"She's house sitting for some friends. Hers, not mine." Tommy clarified. "College girl. From Berkeley. She's a Physics major, going into her senior year...seems smart as a whip."

Charlie nodded, not exactly sure where this line of small talk was going, but hoping it wasn't going where it sounded like it was going. He thought, maybe if he stayed extremely casual, Tommy would let it go.

"I invited her to stop by later for lunch." Tommy told him, looking around the break room as he let the sentence hang in the air.

So much for the casual approach working. "Didn't you invite _me_ to lunch today?"

"Yep."

"But you just said you invited this kid to lunch." Charlie clarified, hoping still to redirect what he now felt sure was what he thought it was.

"She's a young woman, not a child. She's about to be a senior in college so how young can she be. And is there any reason I can't have lunch with you both?"

"Tommy." Charlie let the name drag out. "Grace was cute when she tried to set me up...you're..."

Tommy's eyebrows rose as he made it clear he was very much paying attenton to whatever the next few words out of his young friend's mouth were going to be.

"...not as cute."

The eye contact Charlie received let him know that he'd saved himself.

"Now who says I'm setting you up? I just thought it'd be nice for Sara to meet some nice people her own age." Tommy huffed. "And just for the record, I'm plenty cute."

"That right?" Charlie grinned. "So then did you invite Jenna and Brady too? Or Andie?"

"Well...I don't wanna overwhelm her." Tommy replied, not quite meeting Charlie's skeptical gaze. "Besides, I thought you could introduce her when you give her a tour."

"Tommy." Charlie groaned. "I'd expect this from my mother, but you?"

Tommy shook his hands in front of him. "She's a nice girl who's new in town and deserves to meet good people to spend her time with. Nobody's telling you to marry her, Scooter, just be a gentleman and give her a tour."

Charlie gave him a look when his boyhood nickname came into play. "Alright. A tour and lunch...nothing else is being promised."

"Good enough." Tommy agreed, though not very convincingly if Charlie doubting expression was anything to go by.

"You realize I'm not college age anymore, right? The Dr. in front of my name sometimes gives it away."

"You were an overachiever, runs in your family, and that fast track program you were in didn't hurt anything either. Twenty-five isn't so old that it'd make a difference anyway." Tommy said with a smile. "Lots of people with bigger age differences have long and happy-"

Charlie was looking at him hard. So, he gave his young friend a wink and a grin. "-friendships."

"Uh huh." Charlie snorted.

"Well," the older man wiped his mouth and got up. "See you at lunch if I don't see you before."

Charlie waved as Tommy left. He shook his head and chuckled as he finished off his coffee.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

She let the bike coast across the parking lot until she reached the bike rack. She locked it up with the new bike lock she'd purchased this morning. It was early afternoon, but already it had been a full and productive day.

On her morning run, she'd come across the town library. It was quaint and ideal, small and the smell of the salty sea air wafting through open windows mingling with the aged pages of the books had her instantly in love with it. After a pleasant conversation with Miriam, the librarian who'd been running the library since 1964 had issued her a library card. Normally, library cards were only issued to permenant town residents since it was so difficult to get books back or garner accrued late fees from visitors, but she'd been granted an exception when Miriam had discovered she was a close friend of the Prestons. Apparently, Dorie and Harlan were generous annual contributors to the library.

Miriam had also recommended a little bagel shop two blocks over. This had led to two great discoveries. By ten am, Sara had a divine Everything bagel with cream cheese and job scooping ice cream three days a week from 11:30am until 3:30pm. She couldn't believe her good fortune. She'd overheard the owner of the ice cream parlor discussing his trouble in finding someone willing to work the few hours he needed with his sister, who happened to be the owner of the bagel shop.

She'd left the bagel shop with a satisfied tummy and two 'Scoop Me Up' aprons to start her new job in three days. Needless to say she thought the summer was shaping up rather spectacularly.

It was hard to believe she'd only been here two days so far. Marina del Rey felt so familiar to her already. It rally wasn't hard to understand why people like the Prestons and Tommy came here and stayed.

Sara walked through the glass doors of the aquarium. Being the middle of the day, in the middle of the week and before the kids were out on summer break, there weren't many people milling about. She stood in a large lobby. To her right, there was a decent sized looking gift shop. To her left, was a reception/information desk being manned bya cheerful looking woman with red hair. She looked to be in her mid-thirties and smiled when Sara made eye contact. Off to the side of the larger desk and slightly behind was another, smaller desk and she assumed that was the security desk Tommy had described to her last night, but it sat empty at the moment. She looked around, thinking perhaps she had missed him somehow in the lobby. Still not seeing her new friend, Sara went to the information desk.

"Good afternoon and welcome to the Marina del Rey Aquarium and Rehabilitation Center. I'm Rose. How can I help you today?"

"Hi, Rose. I'm meeting a friend who works here for lunch, but I don't see him. Tommy Drussel?"

Rose was just starting to respond when a slightly out of breath Tommy jogged around the corner, waving and flashing the ladies a smile. "I'm here, I'm here. Don't mark me absent, school marm."

Rose giggled but Sara looked confused. Tommy, having reached the desk, leaned on it and patted Rose's hand before grasping Sara's and giving it a squeeze in greeting. He'd noticed the puzzlement on Sara's face so he explained, "Rose is a substitute teacher."

"Oh." Sara smiled, the statement making loads more sense in context now.

"Sorry I wasn't here when you arrived, Sara. I had planned to be, but I didn't time that last cup of coffee properly."

"Not a problem." She reassured him. "Are we ready or..."

"I just need to wait for Adam to get back from his lunch break and then we can go find Charlie."

"Oh. I didn't realize...Charlie is your marine biologist friend, right?" She hadn't realized anyone would be joining them.

"Yes. Good memory." he smiled. "Being young and smart has so many perks."

"He's one of our two MB's and also one of our two animal behaviorists. Well, I guess technically, he's one of three if you count Dr. Marco." Rose was smiling with a twinkle in her eyes that puzzled Sara for a second time.

Tommy gave the woman an odd smile. "I'm sure you'll get a chance to meet Brady and Andie on the tour I've arranged." he told Sara.

"Tommy, you didn't have to go to all that trouble on such short notice." Sara declared.

"Wasn't any trouble, honey, no trouble at all." Tommy looked relieved when a younger man in a matching uniform appeared from around the corner. "Here's Adam now." He extended his hand to Sara.

"Have fun on your tour and lunch with _Charlie_." Rose called, basically singing Charlie's name.

Sara looked back to see Rose with a wide grin. Sara didn't have any time to really contemplate the strange behavior because her attention was being drawn back to the man leading her through the lobby as he began making introductions to Adam.

Short but pleasant introduction complete, they were once again on their way.

"This is the museum portion of the facility." Tommy pointed toward the large wall mounted canvases that told the history and development of the aquarium and rehab center amidst photos of past staff and animals. Over their heads, suspended by strong steel cables were replicas of sea turtles, dolphins, manatees and otters; the facilities most frequent guests. Further down the hallway were some wall aquariums with various smaller size life of all shapes and colors and Sara examined each enclosure, taking in the beauty and grace of the creatures that danced below the water.

"This is gorgeous." She turned, her eyes lit and happy with life.

"Upstairs you can get food and sit in the sunshine." Tommy held out his hand for Sara to take as he led her up the steps. "You can see almost all of Marina del Rey from up here and you can also look down into one of the training pools." They'd reached the top level and he indicated toward the structure he was telling her about. "It's enclosed in a strong plexiglass so people can't "feed" the animals and it keeps the weather out. It's one of my favorite areas. At night, the moonlight reflects on the pool. Sometimes the guys let the dolphins in there overnight. They seem to like it. They play with the reflection of the moon." Tommy winked at her. "It's a regular party in there if we're havin' a storm with lightening."

Sara laughed. "That must be quite a show."

"I'll sneak you in with out next storm and you can see for yurself. You'll love it. I can tell you're an animal lover."

"That I am." she agreed.

"Yeah, I could tell. Some people," he explained thoughtfully, "you can tell they like it here enough. They walk around and take it all in, might even pause a little longer in some areas then in others. The kids see the magic under the water easiest, but some folks," he smiled at her, "like yourself, well, you can just see it in their eyes that the magic is still there. That's a special gift, Miss Sara. You hold tight to that and don't never let anyone take it away from ya."

Sara smiled, blushing a little at such a compliment and in depth appraisal of herself.

"Well, why don't we head over to the break room and then we can track down Charlie." Tommy noticed he may have embarrassed Sara and hoped he hadn't made her feel uncomfortable at all. It was just that this young lady had struck such a chord in him and he felt like he'd known her such a long time. He offered Sara his arm. "It's not anything fancy." he told her as they started walking. "It's just some sandwiches and fruit. It's a nice day and I thought we could have our lunch out at the picnic tables."

"That sounds nice." Sara was glancing at Tommy as they walked. Rose and his unusual behavior earlier kept nagging at the back of her mind. She had an inkling and she decided to check it out. "Tommy, has your friend, Charlie, worked here long?" She had a strong feeling she was being set up.

"Let's see. He's twenty-five...as a doctor, an intern or as a volunteer?"

Sara laughed. "So, it's been a few years?" she teased.

"I think he was about ten when he first started coming around. It was the year his brother left for college. They're close and I think he was a little lost without him at home. So, weekends, he started showing up nearly every Saturday. He'd spend hours wandering around and watching everything he could." Tommy laughed and shook his head at the nostalgia of it all. The way he'd watch, you'd think the boy was seeing magic." Tommy pointed at Sara and winked. "We struck up a friendship and he started following me around. Dr. Regan, he was our director back then, took a liking to him and let him do it. Dr. Regan even came up with those special visitors passes for him, so he could get behind the scenes until he was old enough to officially be a volunteer. He was my shadow every Saturday for four years until he was old enough to be a volunteer. He did that, though by the time he graduated he was doing the same kind of work an intern would as long as one of the docs was right there with him. Not surgery or anything, but he assisted in wound treatment and training. He was made for this work. So, he worked as a volunteer that first summer of college and the second year he was an intern. He was in one of those fast track programs, where you can earn your degree in half the time it would normally take. Soon as he graduated, he was hired here. I think he was twenty-one by then. He drove two hours each way every summer for two years while he earned his doctorate." Tommy smiled proudly. "A year and a half ago, I got to be the one to hang his new name plate on his office door."

They'd just reached the break room and a voice spoke up from behind them.

"And they haven't been able to get rid of me since."

The first thing she noticed was his smile; bright and genuine with just a little mischief mixed in. It was charming and begged to be returned, which she did earnestly. He was tall and thin, but not scrawny; nothing unappealing about him. He was built like a cyclist, or that was her best snap assessment since the lab coat he was sporting hid a lot.

She realized, belatedly, that she'd been giving him an obvious once over when her eyes met his to discover his green eyes twinkling in the knowledge of it and that charming smile was now a knowing smirk. Oh gosh, she hadn't seriously been caught checking this stranger out before they'd even been properly introduced, had she? Yes. Yes, she had. At least, and she had to assume by his statement that this was Charlie, he seemed to have a good sense of humor.

Graciously, he had mercy on her. "You must be Sara." He extended his hand. "You've made quite an impression on Tommy."

She smiled again. He had a nice voice; rich and smooth, something that would be easy to listen to for extended periods of times. His hand was warm and she briefly wondered how it might feel to hold it longer.

Tommy cleared his throat, breaking the moment.

"How rude of me. My apologies, Sara. I'm Charlie-"

"Dr." Tommy interjected loudly, but with obvious pride resonating in his tone. Sara found herself charmed even more with the man before her when he actually blushed a little with his friend's fluffing.

That tummy fluttering smile was back, and he gave alittle flourish to the title for Tommy as he properly introduced himself. " _Dr_. Charles Grissom."

TBC...

Origionally, this chapter did not end here, but I felt it was of a decent chapter length and decided to have some fun with anyone who might not have had any inkling that Charlie is who he is. (Have I given enough hints? They're not cousins, lol) Anyway, I couldn't resist the *gasp* factor of leaving the chapter right there, but don't worry, the next chapter is written and will be posted soon. Please leave a review; they're so encouraging and motivating.


	3. Chapter 3

**~~LOVING CHARLIE~~**

Does anyone remember this story? I hope so, since months ago I posted that I would update soon and well, it's been months. The good news is that I have written ahead a bit so I will try to make up for the delay by posting more often if there's still interest in this one. Well, we have the usual disclaimer; I don't own any of this, I make no money from this, etc, etc,etc. Any references to songs, musicians, actors, movies, books, TV shows...anything universally recognizable, I do not own. Gosh I hope that covers everything. This is AU; ages have been changed as well as many other aspects.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

 _That tummy fluttering smile was back, and he gave a little flourish to the title for Tommy as he properly introduced himself. "Dr. Charles Grissom."_

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Grissom."

"Charlie, please." She was beautiful, there was no denying that. And he liked the way he felt under her keen gaze. It wasn't that he'd never been appreciated before. He took good care of himself and the men in his family often received compliments on their handsome features.

Women seemed to especially appreciative of their eyes and naturally curly hair. Charlie had his mother's brown eyes, his older brother had gotten their father's baby blues. But while Charlie embraced his hair's natural curls and tended to keep it a little longer but well groomed, his brother preferred to keep his hair more closely cropped.

"Charlie then." Sara replied, giving him a brighter smile and his first good look at the cute gap between her front teeth.

He found it only accentuated a gorgeous smile on a beautiful face. He noted that even with her hair pulled into a high ponytail, it seemed to be naturally curly as well. Kismet perhaps?

 _Beepbeep_. _Beepbeep_. Frowning, Charlie looked down and pulled the pager from his belt. Seeing Jenna's code and her location, Charlie apologized and took four long strides across the room. He grabbed the phone and dialed the extension he needed.

Sara and Tommy listened to the one sided conversation from their spot by the doorway. "How is she? Good. Good. I just left!" He laughed. "Apparently. I'll be there in two shakes. Just keep her calm and relaxed as much as possible. I'll page Andie on my way. You're doing fantastic, Jenna." He hung up and spun around, hurrying back toward them. "How hungry are you, Sara?" he asked with a gleam in his eyes.

"Um...not terribly?"

Charlie looked to Tommy. "I'd like to propose a change in plans. I'll buy us all a nice dinner at Flazzoli's tonight if you two eat your sandwiches on the run."

"What's going on?" Tommy asked. His eyes lit up then. "Is Chloe..."

"In labor." Charlie confirmed excitedly. "I've gotta get back to Jenna and I thought this might beat a tour...for now." He looked back at Sara and Tommy moved quickly to the fridge. "How about it, Sara? Would you like to watch a dolphin be born?"

"Yes!" Sara exclaimed. She shocked him when she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the hallway.

Between the excitement of the impending birth and Sara's unbridled enthusiam, Charlie laughed and allowed Sara to pull him down the hall, totally entranced by the young woman bursting with life. He didn't even notice that he was allowing her to pull him in the wrong direction until Tommy, sandwich bags in hand, called out to them.

Charlie reversed direction and tugged her hand with a smile. "You've got me all turned around, Sara, and you've only been in my life for five minutes." He felt his heart trip in his chest. "I think I like it." he told her, breaking into a run with a beautiful, young woman running alongside him and holding onto his hand like she'd never let go.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

Sara closed her eyes, letting the hot water cascade over her head, rinsing away the shampoo. She pondered what to wear to dinner and then mentally scolded herself for thinking about this like a date.

She wasn't a flighty girl. She didn't believe in love at first sight. Lust at first sight, certainly, but love took time. So she knew she was not in love with Charlie Grissom. She wasn't 'in lust' with him either. That wasn't to say that there wasn't a strong, almost magnetic, physical attraction she was feeling toward him, and she was certain by the frquent, lingering looks he gave her throughout their time together this afternoon, that he felt it too.

She felt comfortable around him. His easy-going personality put her at ease. His obvious care for the animals and people he worked with made her want to spend hours watching him work. She wanted to know him better.

She'd never had an experience like this and it was exciting, but it also scared her. It was so sudden and so intense, but where could this go? She was a nineteen year old senior in college. She was here for the summer. He was a twenty-five year old professional with a job he seemed to adore, in a town he grew up in. _What did that mean for a future together? What kind of a question was that?!_ she thought, scolding herself.

Sara ran her hands roughly through her hair making sure the conditioner was rinsed out before she turned off the water and grabbed her towel with frustration. "Get a grip, Sidle! Just...get a grip!"

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

He whistled as he buttoned the short sleeved shirt, briefly wondering if he should tuck the shirt in or leave it untucked. Would Sara have a preference? He snorted. He'd been dreading Tommy's obvious attempt to set him up with 'the college girl' and then they'd met and he could not get her out of his mind. So much so that he was considering how he should wear his shirt for her apprval.

He was looking forward to dinner; really looking forward to dinner. He actually couldn't remember the last time he'd been looking forward to dinner with a woman this much. _And Tommy_ , he reminded himself. _This isn't a date_. But he wanted it to be.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

"The chicken marsala here is outstanding." he offered, green eyes holding hers admiringly.

"Oh. I'm allergic to mushrooms." Sara said. "Yeah, I swell up; throat will close." She went on with a straight face while she watched her companions reactions. Tommy looked as if he was going to chastise Charlie for suggesting something that could do her harm, as if Charlie had any way of knowing this beforehand. It was incredibly endearing. Charlie looked appalled that he could suggest it, again, considering he had no way of knowing Sara's medical history. It was nearly too much for her to keep from laughing and giving herself away.

"I...didn't realize." He stammered. "I'm so sorry." Charlie really did look stricken.

She melted a little and couldn't keep up the facade. She smiled, giggling. "Sorry. I'm not allergic." She covered her mouth when Charlie's jaw dropped. "I actually love mushrooms and a god chicken marsala is God's gift to plates; one of them at least."

She heard Tommy snicker, but Charlie's face was way too entertaining to look away from.

"You." he said with narrowed, but laughing eyes. "You are an evil woman, Sara Sidle. How do you make friends?" he deadpanned.

"I don't. Well, except for Tommy. I'm here for the free grub." she deadpanned back.

"You're compromising your chances for a dessert, Miss Sass Mouth."

She shrugged. She was enjoying their easy banter. Okay, it was quickly crossing into flirtation. "I have ice cream in the freezer at home."

He put his elbow on the table, casually leaning toward her as he rested his chin on his palm. "Really? What kind?"

Sara was struck by his genuine interest. This wasn't idle chit chat for the sake of passing time or simply flirtation. He really was interested in her ice cream preference. It made her smile and want to know his as well. "Strawberry."

"And I'll bet you're the kind of woman who wants the actual chunks of strawberries in her ice cream. Delicious but natural."

She nodded slowly.

Tommy smiled, hiding it behind his open menu. He had the distinct impression that he could disappear from this little dinner and not be missed. He could just picture Grace smiling down on them in approval.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

He stood awkwardly outside the passenger side door of Tommy's truck with her. Tommy was already behind the wheel, Charlie was guessing he'd done so in an attempt to give them some privacy.

She'd charmed and intrigued him; kept him laughing throughout dinner and he was reluctant to see the evening end. He wanted to offer to drive her home, but she'd come with Tommy so he felt like it was a 'leave with the one you came with' situation, which was ridiculous because she wasn't on a date with Tommy. But then, she wasn't on a date with him either.

Maybe he could take her out for coffee? But, they'd just had coffee with their dessert.

"Well," Sara broke into the rolling silence. She smiled a little when he flinched and his eyes focused on her. She'd guessed he'd been lost in thought. "I should probably let Tommy take me home."

Charlie nodded, hoping his disappointment wasn't obvious. " I really enjoyed dinner, Sara. Thank you for the pleasure of your company."

"Maybe..." Should she do this? Was she reading him right or was she about to be the silly teenage girl chasing after the older man; the very attractive, extremely intelligent, accomplished and simply yummy, older man? "We could have lunch or coffee sometime?"

"Yes." He breathed, obviously relieved. He watched her blush and grin and he had to laugh at his own tone. He dipped his head fetchingly and smiled. "How suave of me. What I should have said was, I'd really like that."

"I kind of like the way you said it originally." She told him honestly.

"Oh." He replied, clearly a little stunned.

She chuckled and opened the truck door. "Goodnight Charlie. I had a wonderful time."

She started to close the door, but his hand shot out, covering hers. "Wait! How will I get in touch with you?"

She smiled sweetly. "Ask me for my number, Dr. Grissom."

"Ah. Right. Smooth as silk again." He searched his pockets for something to write with.

"Glove box." Tommy offered.

Sara opened the glove box and located a pad and pen and then patiently waited, smiling when it clicked and he rolled his eyes playfully.

"Miss Sidle, if it wouldn't be too forward, may I have your phone number so that I might call you at a later date to make arrangements to spend more time with you?"

"Gallant. Very nice." She grinned and scribbled her phone number down for him. Handing it to him, she let her fingers brush his. That zing people talk about? Yeah. It happened.

Wow. That electric current that shot through him at the touch of her fingers with his was the stuff poems, ballads and movies were made of. On instinct, his larger fingers grasped hers and he raised her hand and laid a soft kiss to her knuckles. His gaze held hers and his lips lingered on her flesh. Reluctantly, he lifted his head, softly bidding her goodnight with a promise to call her soon. He then waved to Tommy and shut her door, tapping lightly and watching as Tommy carefully pulled out of the parking lot.

He made good on his promise by 11:30am the very next day.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

**~~LOVING CHARLIE~~**

As promised, here's the next chapter. I don't own any of this, I make no money from this, etc, etc,etc. Any references to songs, musicians, actors, movies, books, TV shows...anything universally recognizable, I do not own. Gosh I hope that covers everything. This is AU; ages have been changed as well as many other aspects. Anything **between *'s and in italics is American sign language, these plus bold face is being signed and spoken.**

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

He hummed under his breath as he set the table. Paul Grissom met his wife's eyes over the salad they were preparing. * _He's humming_.* Paul signed inconspicuously. His wife grinned prettily, head bent as if she were intently focused on the tomatoes being wedged, but glancing at her youngest son. Charlie flipped a fork in the air and catching it before placing it beside his father's plate.

*Dinner and a show.* Betty grinned as her hands spoke covertly with her husband, their eyes meeting and smiling at one another.

"Good day today, son?" Paul queried.

Charlie looked up, a little startled at being drawn out of his thoughts. "Yes." he answered, hoping the heat of the flush he felt in his cheeks wasn't showing. He saw his mother sign his father's name.

"What's her name?" The high school botany teacher inquired, his blue eyes dancing with mirth.

Charlie looked to his mother, who smiled tenderly back at him. * _You were humming_ * was her simple explanation.

He gave both his parents a look, tough none of them took it seriously. "I have been known to hum from time to time. It doesn't necessarily have to have a connection to a woman."

Paul grunted, scrapping the shredded carrots into the salad bowl. "So no woman." he deadpanned, winking at his wife.

Charlie didn't answer. The remainder of the silverware was placed before he replied. "Incidentally, in this specific instance, there does happen to be a woman responsible."

Paul laughed heartily. Betty asked what he'd said since he'd been turned away from her. * _ **It's a woman**_.*

Betty brushed her hands off, gesturing to Paul that the salad was now his task. He smiled softly at her and watched as she took Charlie's hand and sat with him at the table she'd fed her family at for over three decades. * _Is she a local girl? Do we know her or her family_?*

Charlie shook his head. * _ **She's a senior at Berkeley. She's spending the summer here, house sitting for friends who own a summer home. Tommy met her in the park and worked an introduction**_.* he grinned pointedly.

Betty smiled and patted his hand before giving him a thumb's up and making her husband laugh.

* _Do we know her friends_?*

* _ **No, mom. I don't think so. They're professors at Berkeley. They're spending the summer in Greece**_.*

Paul finished the salad and brought it to the table. * _ **Have you just met her then**_?* Paul asked. * _ **Or have you been playing it close to the vest**_?*

* _Of course he just met her. He hasn't been going out at night_.*

Charlie stared blankly at his mother while his father laughed.

* _ **I'm sure mom didn't mean to make you sound pathetic at all, son, only to remind us how observant she is so we don't attempt to be sly with her**_.*

Betty playfully swatted her husband's chest. * _He knows I didn't mean it that way. Don't be a scoundrel_.* Her husband leaned down, winking at her and laid a tender kiss to her temple.

* _ **I went out last night! I wasn't here for dinner**_!* Charlie exclaimed.

Betty waved it off. * _That was one night_.* She signed with a flippant air. * _If you were courting the young lady, you would be out more often_.*

* _ **To answer your question, dad, and to dispell any rumors that I may have poor dating skills**_ ,* he scowled at his parents, grinning when his mom pulled a face and touched her chest before pushing her hands, palms out and away as if to physically shoo what he'd just said in a clear 'not me' gesture. * _ **I just met her yesterday**_.* He pilfered a cucumber from the bowl, crunching happily. * _ **Tommy invited us both to lunch yesterday and snookered me into giving her a tour, but then Chloe decided it was time for Dane to meet the world, so she watched that instead and then hung around a bit. To make up for not being able to give her the tour and making lunch a 'to go' situation, I took her and Tommy out for dinner last night**_.* He frowned at his mom but his eyes laughed and gave him away. * _ **Did you even notice I was gone**_?*

She stuck her tongue out at him just as the oven timer went off. Paul tapped her arm and without words, as they were so prone to do, Betty knew what it meant and rose to go to the oven, with one slight detour to place a loving kiss to the crown of her son's head. Betty bustled about, returning a few minutes later with a steaming pan of lasagna. Drinks were poured and God was given thanks. Paul dished up portions of the lovely smelling meal while Betty learned more about Charlie's night and Sara.

* _ **She's great, mom. I met her for coffee this afternoon. It was only an hour and it flew by, but I can't remember the last time I enjoyed such simple conversation so much**_.* His face reflected the picture of sheer excitement and awe. * _ **And you know me. I'm pretty social and it wasn't anything earth shattering; no cures for cancer or world peace were discussed, but**_ * he sighed deeply, reaching out and clasping his mother's hand. * _ **she just has this amazing energy! Talking about anything is...I didn't want our time together to end**_.*

Betty smiled tenderly. * _That sounds wonderful, Charlie. When will you be seeing her again_?*

* _ **I've invited her to come have that tour tomorrow morning. She really seems to like the animals, so I'm going to take her on rounds with me. I think she's going to get a kick out of the boys**_.*

* _ **Ah yes, and how are my grandotters**_?* Paul asked, laughing.

Charlie just chuckled and shook his head, filling his father in on their antics from today.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

Charlie left his parents on the patio, dancing to Otis Redding under the stars. He flipped on the lamp by his bed. He picked up his book, Keats, but let it drop to his bed mere seconds later in distraction. He went to his window instead; opening it in order to feel the cool night breeze on his face as he admired the nearly full moon overhead and wondered what the beautiful woman across town was doing at that very moment.

For the next forty-five minutes, he ping-ponged between reading and wondering. He heard the familiar sounds of his dad as he walked through the house, locking up for the night. Charlie turned his head and eyed the phone sitting on the deeply stained, mahagony stand by his bed and then looked across the room at his alarm clock. With a sigh, he returned to his reading, but before long, he found himself eyeing the phone and again, the clock.

He closed the book and grabbed the phone, hoping this wasn't a bad idea. There was a fine line between charming and spontaneous and creepy, but he couldn't get her out of his mind. The phone rang three times and he thought about hanging up and going for a run, but halfway through that next trill, she answered, bringing a smile at once to his face with her hello.

"Hello."

"Charlie?"

"Yeah, I hope I'm not bothering you."

"You're fine. I was just reading a little before bed."

"Really. I was trying to read too." A mental picture of her curled up on her bed, with a book drifted through his mind and made him wonder if she was a nightgown kind of woman or shorts and a tank top? She laughed softly and his stomach did flips at the sound.

"Trying?" She questioned. "Having trouble with the big words, Dr.?"

"What?" He was still a bit distracted. "Oh, well...my mind seems to have been preoccupied with thoughts of a beautiful, young woman I spent time with this afternoon. I'm afraid ol' Keats just wasn't holding my attention as avidly as she was."

Sara could feel her face and neck flush, her pulse picked up at his words. Truth be told she'd thought about him a lot throughout the day and night as well. A lot. Actually, she'd been thinking about him when the phone rang and her heart had skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. "I had a really good time today, too, Charlie." she replied. She picked absently at the sheet covering her legs. "Do you...I mean, would you have time to have breakfast with me in the morning?"

"I would."

She beamed, but the silence on the other end of the line soon had her feeling quite puzzled and more than a little anxious. "Okay. Where, um, would you like to have breakfast?"

"Well, I don't know, Sara. I haven't been asked yet."

It was light and teasing and even though he couldn't see it, she narrowed her eyes. It wasn't long, though, before she couldn't hold back the amused smile. "How heavily do you rely on your self-assured wit to carry you with women?" She could give back as good as she got.

"That depends." He answered.

"On?"

"Does it make you want to spend more or less time with me?"

Several witty comebacks flitted through her mind, but in the end, she simply asked, "Would you have breakfast with me tomorrow?"

"I'd love too."

There was another gap of silence between them but it didn't feel awkward at all. It was filled with the breath of excited anticipation.

"I am having a problem though." Charlie told her, moving his book of the bed and scooting down until he could lay flat on his back. Cradling the phone between his shoulder and ear, he bent his other arm under his head and relaxed into the conversation.

"What's that?" She was beginning to recognize the tone of his voice when he was about to tease her.

"It's a little like Christmas Eve."

"Breakfast is like Christmas Eve? Do I need to bring a present because that might make you a high maintenance date."

Oh, this woman had a witty sould to match his own. "I'm a simple man...or a simpleton? My brother was mumbling when he told me so I'm not exactly sure which it was. And _you_ are the present, as far as I'm concerned. No, _breakfast_ is not like Christmas Eve, but _waiting_ to be able to see you _at_ breakfast is like Christmas Eve. The excitement and anticipation of Christmas makes it nearly impossible to sleep Christmas Eve." he explained.

"Charlie." Sara sighed. She was sure she had to have fallen asleep and drifted into a rom-com. This kind of thing just didn't realistically happen, did it? "Are you serious?"

"Well, I think he was half joking..."

Sara laughed. "No," she chuckled, "Not about what your brother said." She forced herself to be serious. "You're charming, Charlie, but if you're laying it on thick just to impress me, you don't have to." She felt scared at the thought. If he was just flirting for a few dates and then he wouldn't want to see her anymore, she'd rather not do this, because the way she was feeling and the things he said...she had a terrible feeling if he didn't really, really mean them then she was going to end up going back to Berkeley with a broken heart. "Just be real with me, okay?"

"I will. Sara, I am." The silence over the line now made him nervous. "Honestly, Sara. I know I sound enormously cheesy, but I mean everything I've said. I haven't ever enjoyed spending time with a woman as much as I enjoy spending time with you."

"Okay." She replied, blushing and thankful he couldn't see her over the phone.

"Did I totally freak you out?"

She laughed. Not yet, but if I find a dead bunny, this is over."

"Oh, nice Fatal Attraction reference. Deal." he answered, chuckling. Just then it hit him how early she'd have to be up if they were going to have breakfast together before his morning rounds. "Um, you may actually end up reconsidering breakfast."

"Why?" she teased. "Planning on asking me to marry you?"

He scowled, despite her not being able to see him. He really enjoyed teasing her. "I'd never propose before lunch." he deadpanned.

"Good to know."

"Seriously though, I typically start rounds at 6:45am. That's a pretty early wake up call for some people."

"You already told me to meet you at the aquarium at 6:30am."

"Yes, but you could have been planning on rolling out of bed at 5:30am."

"Well." She drew the word out, mulling it over in her mind. "The beach closest to the aquarium; why don't we meet there at 5:00am. I'll bring breakfast."

"I can bring breakfast, Sara." His chivalry automatically making an appearance.

"I invited you." she argued.

"Yes, but your main mode of transportation is a bike. It's pretty hard to cart breakfast around on a bike." He pointed out.

"Hey. I'm a woman of many talents, I'll have you know." She informed him firmly.

"I have no doubt."

The timbre of his voice just then sent a chill chasing down her spine. "Don't..." she squeeked, clearing her throat and tried again. "Don't expect anything too fancy."

"At least let me bring the coffee?"

"That depends."

"On?"

"Can you make good coffee?"

He laughed. "I'll have _you_ know that _I'm_ a man of _many_ talents."

She shivered again.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

**~~Loving Charlie~~**

I know it's been awhile, so I hope there are people still interested in this one. For any new readers, I will remind everyone that this is an AU story, introducing new characters and exploring what a change in history might do with some main characters personality under such circumstances. I hope everyone will keep an open mind when reading and above all enjoy it. I love reading reviews, in case anyone was on the fence about writing one not knowing if I did or not, lol. Also a reminder, anything between * and in italics is American Sign language; anything between * and bold faced is being signed and spoken aloud. I should probably add that most of the information about the otters I found at The Marine Mammal Center Website, though the singing is all mine. I have made up some of the info.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

The sand, just beginning to warm in the early morning rays, muffled his approach. He liked that it gave him a chance to watch her unguarded.

Sara shoved her toes deep into the sand, feeling the cold grains between them. She watched the morning as it crept over the waves.

"Good morning."

Sara smiled and tilted her head up to see him better. "Good morning."

They stayed like that for a moment, smiling at each other before Sara patted the blanket under her. Charlie folded his legs under him and sat beside her. He sat the thermos he'd brought between them and reached into the pocket of his sweatshirt, drawing out a pint of milk and a little ziploc baggie of sugar packets. He grinned at her, "I forgot to ask how you take your coffee."

"Black, but thank you for the thought. You didn't stop special for those, I hope."

He shook his head, cracking the lid to the thermos open. The smell of fresh coffee wafted on the light breeze. "I'm a milk and sugar kind of guy."

"Hmm." She tilted her head and watched him.

"Why do I feel like I'm going to receive a score at the end of this date?" He smiled slyly, while pouring the coffee.

"Is that what this is? A date?" Her curious tone brought his eyes over to hers. The sunlight was catching her eyes just right, making them sparkle brilliantly. So much so, that for the briefest of moments it felt like time itself stopped so they could glean as much enjoyment in the moment as possible.

"That was certainly my hope." He replied. His series expression morphed into a devilish smirk. "I don't think that's my call though. As memory serves, this was the lady's choice."

She bit down demurly on the lip of her cup, giving him a look through her lashes that had his pulse galloping. "It's a date. And so far," She smiled brightly, "a really good one."

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

"Sara."

The excited brunette paused at his abrupt stop and her name being spoken with such seriousness. She looked into his equally serious green eyes.

"Before we go any farther, I think there's something you need to know."

"Okay." She replied, calmly, if not a little hestitantly.

"I...I'm a daddy."

"You...what?" Sara's eyes darted to his left hand, searching for a ring or pale skin she had somehow managed to miss. Finding nothing, she scanned the habitat they were currently in for the start of his rounds. They were more or less alone, but a few workers were at the far end of the habitat. "You tell me this now?" She whispered sharply. "Here?"

"Well, I wanted to be honest and I thought it best since I brought you here first to meet them."

The grin he was wearing was totally inappropriate in the situation. Her gaze narrowed as his grin broadened. "You're terrible!" She chided, realizing there was more to his declaration. He was teasing again. She watched him walk over to the fridge.

"I'm adorable." He countered, pulling out three bottles filled with a greyish sludge. "And I never said they were human." He winked and crooked a finger at her. They met again by a short door. "Sara Sidle, I would love for you to meet my three boys."

She smirked, looking back at the pool behind them. "You're not the proud papa to those turtles?"

He shook his head and his eyes sparkled. He beckoned her closer and brought his finger to his lips as he cracked the door just a little. Sara leaned in and listened. Ever so faintly, a trilling sound reached her ears and she leaned closer to the opening to hear it better. The sound was in three different pitches and seemed to blend together in a harmony. It was astonishing.

"They're singing." Charlie whispered.

Her head whipped round to look at him in awe. He nodded at her obvious excitement. "I've never heard anything like it. They've been doing it since we rescued them. We believe it comforts them. They only do it when they're alone."

"It's amazing." She whispered.

"It's how they got their names. Come on." He smiled, taking her hand and opening the door more widely. "Meet my boys."

Three of the most adorable creatures she'd ever laid eyes on scrambled toward them when Charlie whistled. They came as fast as their tiny, little legs would carry them. charlie sat down and they fell over each other to climb into his lap as he laughed and stroked each one. Sara Sidle felt her heart slip away just that much more.

"Would you like to help me feed them?"

She beamed. "Can I?!"

He held out his hand and she laughed when the littlest one climbed up and hung from his outstretched arm. He laughed with her and got hold of him as she lowered herself to sit beside him. He had to work to keep the squirming masses of fur and energy in his lap, so keen were the youngsters to explore their new visitor.

He found her laugh captivating. Were he a man who believed in such things, it would be easy to understand how easily a sailor could be lured to his doom with the sweet song of a siren's call, such was the sound of her uninhibitated laugh. He was losing his heart to this woman, quickly.

What should I do?" She giggled as Charlie scooped one of the boys up when he'd managed to crawl under his arm and make a beeline for Sara.

"That depends on how comfortable you are. How about I let one go...yes, you." He laughed, scooping the same pup up who'd escaped seconds before as he made a second break for it. "You can feed him while I take care of these two. And then we can play a little. Sound good?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay. Just pick up a bottle and hold it out. He'll do the rest, trust me." Charlie laughed. Sara picked up a bottle and held it out as instructed. "Alright. Here he comes." Charlie let go and watched as the pup bolted toward Sara and the waiting bottle.

She squeeled quietly in delight when the little guy latched onto the bottle and promptly rolled onto his back, nearly yanking the bottle from her hand in his eagerness. "Oh my! Hungry little one, aren't you!"

"Always." Charlie met her eyes and the two smiled at each other.

"What's his name?" She asked, looking back at the feasting ball of fur.

"That's Robin." He adjusted a bottle. "And this," he indicated by raising his left arm, "is Maurice and this big guy is Barry." he finished, smiling at the feeding pup cradled in his lap. "He was the largest of the three, well, he still is as you can see, so we deemed him to be the oldest."

"So, there's no way to tell which is really the oldest?" Sara asked.

"Not in this case, no. We do know that they were born very close to the same time, probably withing days of each other."

"Tell me about them? Their story, I mean."

It warmed his heart how she was so genuinly interested. He'd never dated a woman not in his field, that had such genuine interest in the animals and what he did. Oh, they'd seemed interested enough at first, and most women 'ooo', 'ahh', and coo over the animals, especially the babies, but eventually their eyes would glae over or it became typical to get a 'that's nice' reply when he'd share his day or a story about one of his critters. With Sara, he had the strongest sense that he would never see that from her. "I'd love to. Well, they were about two weeks old when they were found. A local fisherman in Morro Bay was out in one of the shallow inlets with his granddaughters collecting oysters, when they happened upon Maurice. The fisherman went back the following two days, taking some fish, and the little guy was still there. On the third day he called us. On his way back from that trip, he'd come across the carcasses of two female otters. So, we loaded up the van and drove out there. By the time we were done, we'd found all three within half a mile of each other. Best that we can surmise is that they were all born around the same time and their mothers were killed maybe a day or two before Maurice was first found."

Sara looked down at the baby snuggled against her leg. He was finished with the bottle but still clasped it, happily chewing on the rubber nipple. "Is it normal for things like that to happen?"

Charlie frowned. "Unfortunately, far too often. We believe it was poachers or maybe just one, but that he, she or they were novices."

"What makes you think they were novices?"

"Because they lost two. The carcasses, in tact that is, usually aren't found."

"Why do people do this?" A tear slid from her eye. "Don't they realize some little one out there needs their mother...or father?" She whispered that last word.

"I wish they did, Sara." The look of pure sadness in her eyes tugged at his own heart and something in her voice made him wonder if she were only talking about the animals, but he felt it too personal a question to ask so soon. He really hoped he was reading too much into her tone.

Wanting to bring that joy back to her eyes, he held fast to the boys and stood up. Barry perched on his shoulder like some alternative parrot, and Maurice tucked in the crook of his arm, Charlie held out his hand to her with a tender smile. "When was the last time you played in the water with some baby otters?"

That smile he was growing more and more in love with lit up her features again as she grasped his hand and allowd him to pull her to her feet. "Oh, it's been a few days, at least." She teased.

"Well, we can't have you getting out of practice, now can we?"

With Robin toddling along behind them, Charlie showed Sara to the employee locker room where they ran into Jenna. Charlie asked her to help Sara find a wet suit that fit and to do routine checks on the dolphins for him and he would be over to check on mama and the new baby in about an hour unless something was amiss.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

Jenna was finishing up rounds when she ran into Tommy.

"Morning, Rocket." He greeted.

"Hey, Tommy." The young woman smiled. "Kids are all alright." She informed him, knowing he liked to keep tabs on all his little aquatic friends. "How's the fort?"

"Good. Good. Just doing my final check before we open up for the day. You seen Charlie this morning? He must've come in early. I missed him at our usual spot."

Jenna laughed. "Oh, he's a little preoccupied this morning."

Tommy's eyebrow rose. "Thought the kids were all okay."

Jenna laughed again, knowing how the older man was going to enjoy this. "It's not the four legged, finned ones keeping him busy, but there's a long, two legged one with brown hair and eyes that's got him wound pretty good."

A slow smile spread over his face. "That right?"

She nodded with a smile of her own. "They're in the exercise pool, playing with the boys. Want me to tell him you wanna see him?" She asked, waiting for his reaction.

"No! No. Let the _kids_ play." Tommy insisted, winking as he turned and walked back down the hall. "You have a good day now, honey, and I'll see you later."

There seemed to be a bit more pep in his step as the senior security guard made his way down the hall. Jenna even thought she detected the faintest sound of humming just before he disappeared around the corner.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

**~~Loving Charlie~~**

For any new readers, or more to the point those that are still hanging on, I will remind everyone that this is an AU story, introducing new characters and exploring what a change in history might do with some main characters personalities under such circumstances. I hope everyone will keep an open mind when reading and above all enjoy it. I love reading reviews, in case anyone was on the fence about writing one not knowing if I did or not, lol. Also a reminder, anything between * _and in italics is American Sign language;_ anything between * and **bold faced is being signed and spoken aloud**. I should probably add that most of the information about the otters I found at The Marine Mammal Center Website, though the singing is all mine. I have made up some of the info.

 **~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~**

The sheer curtain billowed with the breeze coming off the water, carrying with it a sound heard since the beginning of time. She swore the salty air coated her nostrils and stayed with her even months after she'd visited the beach. She loved it; missed living so close to the sand and the waves. It was one of the only things that made her long for days spent at her families B&B.

She was curled up in an oversized armchair, she'd deemed it her favorite, and held her place in her book with her finger. She let her gaze travel down the beach and her thoughts wander to a certain brown haired, green eyed man who'd been occupying her mind all day long.

He'd asked her to have dinner with him tommorrow night. She had wholeheartedly accepted. He'd given her his phone number and it was calling to her from the table where it lay. She felt silly for a minute and then remembered his phone call last night. Making up her mind a minute later, she was listening to the phone ring.

"Grissoms."

It sounded like Charlie...a little bit. Over the phone, she wasn't sure. Better to play it safe, she decided. "Hi. I'm looking for Charlie."

"Alright."

Now she was certain it wasn't him. It had to be his dad. His cheery tone left her smiling and feeling relaxed.

"Can I tell him who's calling or may I just assume that with such a lovely voice that must surely match the lovely face my son has described, that this is Miss Sidle?"

She blushed at the compliment. Well, she knew where Charlie had gotten his charm. She giggled and answered, "Yes, sir, but please call me Sara. I hope I'm not calling too late."

Now he laughed. "Oh, Sara. We're old but we're not that old yet."

Her breath caught in her throat. Not even two minutes into her first interaction with the man and he thought she was calling him old. But, before she had a chance to explain herself, he was telling her to "hang on a minute. I'll get him." Once she heard the distinct sound of the phone making contact with a hard surface, she groaned. "Great job, Sara. Wonderful first impression." She muttered to herself. She didn't have long to chastise herself before she heard Charlie say hello.

"I'm pretty sure I just insulted your father."

Charlie sighed dramatically. "And I thought we might have a future together. Well, it was nice to have met you. I'll never forget you, Sara Sidle."

"Charlie, don't." She half laughed, half groaned at his teasing. "I haven't even met your parents yet and I've already made a bad impression with your father."

He held the phone away from his mouth and yelled, "Dad!" Even with the phone where it was, he could hear Sara frantically calling his name and telling him "No!" and to "Stop!".

Paul reappeared in the doorway to the kitchen. "Sara thinks she insulted you and made a bad impression."

Sara let her head fall back onto the chair. She wanted to say that she couldn't believe he was actually doing this, but in the last couple of days she'd begun to see what a wicked sense of humor he had. It was never malicious, at least not that she'd witnessed, and she didn't sense that in him at all. But he loved to tease her and to be perfectly honest, she really liked that about him. She was pulled from her musings and back into the present scenario when she heard his dad say, "No. Why? We are old compared to you kids."

"You called my father old?" Charlie laughed.

"No! Yes..." She stumbled. "Kind of? I asked if I called too late; like your parents are eighty years old or something."

"Sara." She really was so sweetly endearing, it made him ache to be nearer to her. "He's not insulted or offended. You heard him, right? Believe me, he's much more easy going than that. I got my sense of humor from my father." He thought about it for a minute and corrected himself. "Actually, my brother and I got our sense of humor from both of them. Gil is a little more tame until he really knows someone, but then once he knows you, look out because you're fair game."

"So, he's really not insulted?" She asked.

"No, honey-" He caught himself, trying to quickly decide whether it would be less awkward to just keep talking as if nothing happened or to apologize and ask if that was okay. He liked the way it felt on his tongue though. "I...it just came out. If it's too soon or it makes you uncomfortable, I won't do it again."

It made her heart race to hear such a term of endearment coming from him. She wasn't sure if it was because it scared her, she wasn't used to it..."Maybe we could just let it steep awhile and test it out again a little later?"

"Sure. No problem." He agreed, glad it hadn't gotten really weird. "So, how was the rest of your day?"

"It was good. I went for a swim, took a nap and went to the fish market for a nice piece of tuna that I grilled as the sun floated low on the horizon."

"Well, Miss Sidle, you paint a lovely picture. Maybe we need to get you some canvases and water colors and a spot in mom's gallery."

He made her giggle. She liked that about him too. "I'm afraid my words would paint the better picture. I don't have much of an artistic flare. I'm a pretty decent photographer though."

"Do you have a subject preference?" he asked.

"Um...I think my favorite is landscapes and wildlife. I really like to play with light and shadow. When I have the time and means of transportation, I sometimes take short road trips to local parks. I leave early in the morning and spend the day taking shots of the same subjects at various times of the day. It's amazing to see the contrast, and I just read and relax in between." She laughed at how hippie she must sound. "It's very zen. Really though, it recharges my battery in a way few other things can. Does that sound hokey?"

"Not at all. Actually, that sounds like a pretty perfect way to spend the day." An idea was forming in his mind. "Sara, do you scuba dive?"

" _That was a big subject change_." She thought. "Um...Well, I've snorkeled quite a lot, but I've never been scuba diving. Is that something you enjoy?"

"Oh yeah, it is. I'm actually an Open Water Scuba Instructor. I have a friend with a boat and I'd love to teach you, if that's something you'd be interested in." Brady had a boat and was also in the process of earning a certificate in Open Water Scuba.

"That sounds like fun. I'd love that."

"Let me check with Brady and see if he's free Saturday." He was really excited about what he had planned for her. "Oh, hey, didn't you start at the ice cream shop today?"

"Decker wasn't feeling well. He wants to be the one to train me so he asked if I minded starting tomorrow." She explained. Of course, she hadn't minded. She was on vacation and her schedule was relatively open.

"Oh. Hey, let me know if he's not in again tomorrow, will ya? He and my dad have been friends since they were kids. Deck's stubborn, especially when he's sick. Dad's pretty good at getting him to go to the docter's when he needs to go. It takes a little of the pressure off JeanAnne."

"It's funny." Sara mused aloud. "This really isn't a small town, but it feels like it."

"You're right. I love that." He sighed softly. " I think it's because so many families just stay. People really know each other and...you just can't get that in bigger towns where people come and go, ya know?"

"I didn't really understand what that could be like until I came here, but you can feel it."

He nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "That's why I stayed. I just couldn't imagine living anywhere else. And I love being close to my parents. I guess you may have guessed that, given the fact that I still live at home." He chuckled a bit.

"I did assume you must at least tolerate them or at the very least they offer a low rent." She teased, though she did wonder at his housing choice. Being twenty-five years old and with a successful career, she assumed he made good money. Maybe he wasn't good with finances? Maybe he just really didn't like living alone?

"You can ask, Sara. I won't be offended."

Apparently her silence was telling and she felt embarrased at her obvious transparency. "I'm sorry, Charlie. It's not any of my business." She apologized.

"Nothing to be sorry for. I really like you, Sara and I enjoy spending time with you. I want to continue spending time with you and getting to know you. I hope you feel the same way about me and I would expect you to want to know whay a twenty-five year old, gainfully employed man with a doctorate's degree is still living at home with his mommy and daddy."

"Okay. Tell me what made you continue living at home instead of having a place of your own." She relented, putting her book down and getting more comfortable.

"A lot of reasons really. My parents are awesome." he started, making her laugh and him with her. "No, but I'm serious. They're amazing people and I honestly love being near them."

The simple but obviously heartfelt statement sobered her quickly and touched a chord deep within her. She wondered what it would be like to be able to feel that way.

"I saved my money when I got hired as an official employee at the aquarium." Charlie went on. "Every month I put some money back to pay my student loans for school off as quickly as possible. Paid on my Jeep and that sort of stuff, kept a little fun money out but put the rest back to buy a place or rent once I was out of school like I thought a good son should. When my parents found out what I was doing, which was about a month before I earned my doctorate, they sat me down, told me how proud they were of me and how responsible I had been. And then they asked me if I was planning on moving out because I wanted my independance or because I thought it was what I was supposed to do."

Betty scurried into the kitchen, all hunkered down like she was zipping behind enemy lines, as she hurried toward the fridge. Charlie smiled at her cute antics in her attempt to 'guard his privacy', but when she covered her ears and began to hum, he laughed out loud.

"Ah...was it something I didn't say?" Sara asked, confused by his sudden laughter.

"It's my mom." he replied, continuing to laugh as the woman in question waved to him.

* _Just keep talking to Sara. I won't tell your "old" dad what you say_.*

* _Gee, mom, thanks_.*

She held up the glass in her hand, asking if he wanted some tea. He shook his head and she winked at him as she made her way back out.

"Sorry about that. I'm in the kitchen."

"Oh. High traffic area?"

"In the evening, yes. It's their patio time so it should be quiet now."

"Patio time?"

Charlie smiled even though she couldn't see it. "As long as the weather is nice, my parents spend about an hour out on the patio each evening, listening to their old records, talking and dancing."

"But..." Sara was trying to figure out how to ask without sounding ignorant. "If your mom is deaf, how..."

When she paused again, Charlie explained. "He listens, but she knows the records so well I'd bet money she can still hear them clear as a bell in her mind. And when they dance, he holds her close and hums them against her ear so she can feel the vibrations. Like I said," he went on with a pause steeped with affection, "my parents are amazing people."

"They sound like it. I'm looking forward to meeting them." That was true, but it was also a little intimidating. True, she had Harlan and Dorie, but they were more like an uncle and an aunt. She loved them; it just wasn't the same kind of relationship as a parents with their child.

"Sara, are you okay? You sounded a little...off."

"I...it's a long story, Charlie. Could we save it for another time?" She was actually surprised she let the door to that particular subject open at this point in their relationship. Typically, this was _the_ subject she avoided above all others and even then, you had to have an enormous amount of trust built with her before she would divulge what had happened.

"If that's what you want. Just...if you ever want to talk, talk to me, Sara. I...I wish you were here."

"Think you could use that charm to get me to talk, do you?" She joked, trying to lighten the heavy shroud that had settled over the conversation and get the knot in her stomach to loosen.

"No." He replied tenderly. "You just sound like you could use a hug and my arms are empty."

"Charlie." Sara breathed, a rebellious tear slipped from her eye before she could stop it. "How can you be for real?"

"Good genes." He cajoled, sensing she'd about had her fill with this emtional talk for the night.

"Okay. So, enough heavy stuff for tonight. Tell me why you're living at home, slacker."

"Oh ho! Slacker?!" He went along with her. "Now the truth comes out."

They talked on into the night. Charlie told Sara about how his heart hadn't been in moving out at the time and his parents had encouraged him to stay with them as long as he'd wanted and to save his money to pay off his college loans so that when he was ready to move out, he would be that much closer to being debt free. Staying had been one of the best decisions he'd ever made. Being strict with his budget, he'd been able to pay off the small student loans he'd accumulated and his Jeep was paid for free and clear.

She'd been impressed. Most people his age were only starting to realize they should be doing what he had already accomplished, and a good majority of them that realized it still didn't buckle down and actually achieve it. It was another check in the positive column for Charlie Grissom; financially smart and responsible.

He'd also shared that he was now saving money back every payday to put a healthy down payment on a home someday...maybe when he found the person he wnats to share his life and that home with.

That night, Sara had dreamed of a big house on the shore with a patio and music drifting with the waves as two people danced under the moonlight.

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for the long delay. There's a quote in here from the episode, "Iced." An imaginary cookie to anyone who finds it.

 **~~Loving Charlie~~**

At the tinkling bell, Sara looked up and her 'greeting the customer' smile broadened at the sight of Charlie walking toward the counter. She hadn't expected to see him until after he got off work tonight. "Hello, sir." she grinned. "How can I help you?"

"Well, I was hoping for something sweet." He smiled fethingly, leaning slightly over the counter into her space. "And while I'm here I thought I might get some ice cream too."

Heart dancing in her chest, she blushed.

"Stop drooling on my counter, Chucky Cheesy and give that young lady some personal space. This is a respectable place of business, not the Love Connection."

Charlie let his head drop in mock defeat. "It's like having a back-up dad." He groaned.

"What's that, Charlie Charmless? Speak up?" The older man chirped as he walked around the counter. He gave a full blown smile when Charlie turned toward him.

"How ya feelin', Deck?"

"Tell your old man that I ain't dead yet." He winked at Sara and added, "I gotta stick around to steal your mom away one of these days."

Charlie laughed. "I've been hearing that for as long as I can remember."

"Well, I had to change it up when your brother got scared."

Sara looked at Decker, wondering what he was talking about. She noticed Charlie shaking his head and smiling.

"When this one was still makin' stink bombs in his diapers," Decker started explaining, "his brother got confused about who his daddy was."

Again, Sara looked puzzled.

"Well, little Gilly would call for his daddy and Paul and I would both answer. Betty used to swat me for it and she'd give ol' Paul a swat too for laughin' at me, it was hard to resist repeating just to see Betty get all hepped up. But it started gettin' that the poor kid wasn't sure who was who." Decker winked at Sara. "Had to stop before the kid ended up with a complex."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm getting in over my head with you guys?" Sara joked.

"Gonna go spread a little of my joy into Jeannie's life. Don't forget to turn the sign round if you kids sneak in the back." he called over his shoulder as he headed out the door.

Sara was beet red and her mouth was ajar when Charlie turned back around. He had to work very hard not to laugh at the look on her face. "How about Chocolate Covered Cherry."

"Excuse me?" Sara asked, still recovering from Decker's parting words.

"In a cup, please." He smiled, grinning with pent up glee. "Unless you'd like to go into the back first?"

"Charlie!" She yelped, ducking her head as her cheeks flushed even more. "We haven't even had our first kiss yet." She added softly.

"I would like to rectify that soon, if it's okay with you." he replied sincerely, catching her eyes as she peeked up at him.

"I'd like that." she answered.

~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~

Charlie whistled as he grabbed his keys off the counter and headed for the front door.

"Charlie." His dad called as he passed through the living room. "Hey, your brother's on the phone."

"Tell him I'll call him later, dad. Gotta pick Sara up."

Paul Grissom smiled and waved, his attention then drawn back to the phone. "A young lady he's seeing." he replied in answer to the question his oldest asked. He laughed when twenty questions started. "A student at Berkeley I believe he said. She's house sitting for the summer. Tommy set them up." He laughed again. "No, your mom's not the only offender. We haven't met her yet, but Charlie seems quite smitten. He's seen her every day this week."

Betty waved to get his attention, signing when Paul looked at her. He smiled, shook his head but knowing the heck he'd catch if he didn't ask, he went ahead. "Your mom wants to know how Terri is." He frowned. "Oh. What happened?" He took his wife's hands as the signing flew at breakneck speed, listening to the explanantion on the other end and trying to ignore the glare of his wife. "Well, I guess it is pretty hard to get to know someone if they're always having to run off for a case."

*I'll be grandchildless yet!* she signed, pouting. Paul leaned over and kissed her temple.

"So, how's work?" He asked.

~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~

"Hey, I was just finishing up my lunch break and I was going to page you. I'm just about to post Mr. Runson."

His colleague slumped down in her chair across from his desk. "I'm on my lunch break too. Break being the key word in that sentence."

He gave her a sympathetic smile and leaned back. "Okay." he breathed out. "Tell me."

"I just want to pop someone of the male gender in the mouth!"

"Ah..." he stammered, "Do I need to stay out of arms reach?"

He got the desired reaction when she laughed. "You're safe, Gil. You're about the only guy I _don't_ want to sucker punch right now." Catherine Willows pushed her red hair over her shoulder and huffed. "Eddie's being a total idiot right now! I catch him about to shove his tongue down some tramp's throat and he throws a fit, yelling about how I don't trust him and never give him any space. Gee, I wonder why I don't trust him?! And I work nights! How much more space does he need?! But then he complains if I don't spend enough time with him! And Brass is riding me to find the evidence to close the Chambers case and John Chambers is getting really creepy."

"Creepy how?" Grissom sat up, concerned. He didn't like the way that sounded at all.

"He just...looks at me weird. I've had plenty of guys look at me that way, but..." She pulled a face and shivered. "He looks at me like he wants to take me to bed and at the same time he looks like he's imagining taking me apart with a butcher knife or something."

Now he was really concerned. "Cath, don't you think it'd be a good idea to maybe remove yourself from the case? If he's-"

"Gil, you know how much of a boys club this field is. And it doesn't help that I used to dance for a living. I can't bail on a case just because a suspect is giving me the heebie jeebies."

"Is Ed at least home during the day?"

The disbelieving look on her face said it all, so he modified the question. "At least some of the time?"

"Most of the time, no." She answered honestly. "You can't be a serious music producer unless you're out with the talent, babe." She quoted Eddie.

"Just..." Gil sighed, not liking this situation one bit. "Be careful, okay? You know I love Jim, but you're much easier on the eyes than he is." He tried to grin to lighten the mood.

His joke didn't hide his concern and it brought a smile to her face. "I promise not to make you Y cut me, cutie."

His face paled a little. "Not funny, Cath." He said seriously.

"Sorry. I'll be careful, Gil. I promise."

~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~

"It's not often I get a page from the coroner when I don't actually have a body with him." Jim Brass was propped against the wall of the morgue. "Even if he is my favorite coroner and buddy."

"Needed to talk to you." Gil snapped off his gloves and took off the traditional blue smock, discarding them in their appropriate disposal bins.

"I gathered. What's up?"

Gil gestured toward his office. Jim gave the body Gil had been working on a pointed look. "It's fine. Natural causes and I was just stitching him back up. He's been posted and the funeral home is not picking up until 9am."

By this time, they were in his office and each took a seat. Gil offered Jim a cup of coffee, which the native Jersian accepted before he got down to business. "Is Catherine safe?"

"Why? You two dating?" Jim smirked, finding himself funny. It didn't take but a split second to see that Gil was less than amused. "Gil, she's as safe as I can make her. You think I'd sit idle while one of my people are in danger?"

"No, Jim, of course not, but I'm worried." The pause between them gave way to the 'tick tick tick' of the closck on the wall behind Gil. Many CSI's and cops alike would swear that the morgue could be eerily silent at times. While he wasn't a believer in the supernatural, his strong Catholic upbringing prevented him from ever seriously entertaining the idea of ghosts, goblins, werewolves, vampires or the like, he could admit that it was sometimes a little creepy even for him.

"Okay, Gil. Spill." Jim took a sip of his coffee and waited on his friend.

"You know how she is. She doesn't like to show anything resembling weakness or fear, so when she admits that she's...uneasy, it worries me."

"Chambers." Jim replied.

"Yeah. She said he looks at her like he wants to take her to bed and dismember her at the same time. Do you like this guy for the murders, Jim. How much danger could she be in?"

"Whoa, whoa, buddy. You know we don't get ahead of the evidence."

Gil rolled his eyes. "I'll remember that the next time you want an educated guess on TOD or COD. Come on, Jim. I'm not asking you to put it in a report. What does your gut say about this guy?"

Jim turned the tables on the young coroner. "You've met him, Gil. What's your gut telling you?"

Gil gave it some thought. "He's...presenting a public face. He said the right things; even managed some tears, but there was no real emotion...no connection in his eyes. He looked at his mother as if there was no attachment whatsoever there. Disassociative. Very cold. And..." Gil's eyes moved over his desk, looking briefly at the picture of his family that he kept there. "there was almost a sense of satisfaction when he asked how she died and I gave him cause of death. He hid it well, but I swear I saw a smile in his eyes for the briefest of moments."

A small smile of his own appeared in the graveshift supervisor's eyes, not because of the description of the seemingly sick John Chambers, but because of the obvious perception and attention to detail of his friend. He knew Chambers had only been down here with Gil for about ten minutes because he had been the one to escort the victim's son to and from the morgue. That Gil had garnered all that from the chameleon-like Chambers in such a brief encounter impressed him; though not for the first time. "I don't like the guy. He's slimey and talks outta both sides of his mouth. I think he killed his mother and I want him behind bars so he can't kill again and I do think he'll kill again if given the opportunity. And I want him away from Catherine." Brass admitted. "S'one of the reasons I'm pushin' her to get the case closed, but you know as well as I do that we need more evidence than what we've got."

"If you think she's at risk-"

Jim stopped him midway, knowing what his friend was going to suggest. "I will, but only as a last resort." The answering look he received told him that wasn't satisfying the other man. "Gil, stop being a mother hen for a minute and think about this. One, Wea re at risk with nearly every case we work to some degree or another and we know that going in. Two, Catherine will de-nut me if I go all Tarzan and swing to the rescue too soon and you know it."

Gil cringed a little at the mercifully brief mental image of Jim Brass in nothing but a loin cloth, swinging from a vine. Heaven help any innocent bystanders with the misfortune of glancing up from the jungle floor at the wrong moment.

Jim snorted. That look told him Gil had gotten the mental picture. He could address that later. "Gil, I will watch out for her. There is always a uniform in the room with her when she questions him and I can have one escort her home, but until Chambers crosses a line, there's nothing else I can do."

Gil sighed. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jim. He knew how protective Jim was, both personally and professionally. Catherine was one tough cookie, but she also had a very vulnerable side that she didn't expose to most people. It said a lot that she'd shared her unease about Chambers with him. Hence, the reason he'd called Jim down. It was one thing for her to share her woes about Eddie, she'd been doing that for a few years now. One day she'd declared that despite the appendage between his legs, that he was good people and she trusted him. _"We can be bosom buddies, Gil."_ And so they had been for the last three years.

He hated the idea that she was afraid. Paul Grissom had raised his sons to show women the greatest respect, to always treat them as the gift God intended when he made Eve for Adam, and to protect them whenever possible. To some people, this mentality seemed outdated and maybe even demeaning, but it was never intended to be. It was never meant to insinuate that a woman was incapable, but merely a treasure to be dedicated to and worthy of nothing less than your very best. _"If you treat a woman like she shines brighter than the sun itself, she will."_ Paul always said. And Betty Grissom always shined. Gil often wondered if Eddie ever let Catherine know how she shines.

Gil stood up with Jim as he rose from his chair, walking with him out to the main doors of the morgue.

"We good?"

"Yeah." Gil answered. "Just watch her back, Jim."

"I always do, buddy." He confirmed as he left. He'd almost forgotten and so called back over his shoulder before the doors swung closed. "And stop imagining me in a loin cloth, ya dirty pervert!"

"I'm no pervert." Drifted back to him. He chuckled as he made his way to the elevator.

~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~LC~~

Are you sure you're not disappointed about the movie?"

Right now, strolling down the street with his hand wrapped around hers, Sara was finding it hard to imagine being disappointed in anything. And it really was adorable how concerned he was that their date was going to be a flop. "Charlie." She bumped his shoulder with hers playfully. "You can't control that the projector broke."

"I know, but I don't want you to be...bored."

"I'm not bored." She reassured him tenderly. "I'm..." she searched for the right word to describe what she was feeling. "Content." She decided on.

"Ohhhh." He groaned. "That's like one step away from bored."

"No. Only if it's meant to be polite. I'm happy. There's a difference." She caught his eye and grinned. "Only one thing would make me happier."

"And that would be?" He stopped when she did and he followed her gaze across the street to the diner. "You're hungry?"

"I'm snacky." She clarified.

"Okay." Charlie turned toward the diner and took a step, intending to meet her snack needs, but again, stopped when he felt the dead weight of Sara not moving. He looked back. "I thought you were snacky?"

"I am."

"Wellll...they have good service, but I think waiting on us from across the street is beyond what we can reasonably expect. We're going to have to go in." He teased.

"I have more demands." She informed him, trying to keep a straight face.

"Demands? I see. Let's hear them then. I'll warn you now though, while I have access to a reasonable cash flow, at this hour, its not gonna be easy. And you should also know that I have some strong connections at the Vegas PD and lab."

Playing along, she shrugged. "They'd have to catch me first and I feel a Bonnie and Clyde complex coming on."

"You'd need a Clyde to your Bonnie." He tossed back with ease, enjoying their banter and taking her other hand in his.

"You volunteering?"

"I thought I was your mark?"

"Maybe to start, but you'll come around." She said with confidence.

"Stockholm Syndrome." He pursed his lips as if contemplating her words and theory seriously. "Interesting."

"It could happen." Sara replied flippantly.

"But Bonnie and Clyde died in a hail of bullets. Not a very appealing ending to a date, if you ask me."

"I guess I should stick to my original plan then." She teased him.

Feeling emboldened by their playful moment and flirtatious exchange, Charlie let go of Sara's hands and let them softly settle on her waist, pausing a moment to give her the chance to put a halt to this if she felt at all uncomfortable. When her hand rose and grasped his elbow, he felt a fleeting second of nervous uncertainty, but then his eyes caught hers. Her gaze darted from his lips, back up to his eyes and when he looked into them again, he saw the same eager nervousness that pulsed through him.

She licked her lips and it was his undoing. Any lingering doubt as to whether she wanted to be kissed or not flew out of his mind.

He inclined his head toward hers and Sara's heart beat right into her throat. She could feel her knees shaking and realized she was clutching his arms now. She'd never in her life wanted to be kissed so badly.

He may have murmured her name just before his lips met hers, but the blood roaring in her ears prevented her from being sure, and anything besides the warm press of his mouth to hers was lost the minute Charlie Grissom kissed her for the first time.

TBC...

The second part of the date will be in Chapter 8. This was getting a tad long. Thankfully, Chapter 8 is already written. For those biting your nails and wishing ill upon me as Charlie and Sara grow closer and closer...patience my pets...patience. ;)


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